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Almost $50,000 in grant funding distributed by Council

April 22, 2021   ·   1 Comments

By Sam Odrowski

The Town of Orangeville approved nearly $50,000 in grant funding for community organizations in need at last Monday night’s Council meeting (April 12) and still has $33,500 to hand out.

Recipients of this year’s grants include Orangeville and District Senior Citizens Centre ($10,000), Optimist Club of Orangeville ($10,000), Orangeville Tennis Club ($16,500), Rotary Club of Orangeville ($4,000), and the Kin Club of Orangeville ($6,000).

“I’m very familiar with all these organizations, and I would just like to simply take the staff advice and make the motion that we approve this [grant finding] as written, and thank all of those organizations for the wonderful work that they do on behalf of Orangeville,” said Coun. Todd Taylor during the April 12 Council meeting.

Each year during budget deliberations, Orangeville Council considers a budget amount for Community Grant Funding and this year they decided on $80,000, which is consistent with what was put forward in 2019 and 2020.

However, this year only five organizations put forward requests for the grant funding, totalling just $46,500 of the $80,000 that was budgeted for, so there’s still $33,500 left in the pool that’s up for grabs.

In 2019 $83,550 was distributed and in 2020 it was almost double what’s been given this year at $98,900.

Any local not-for-profit organizations in need of a boost in funding can fill out an application by visiting: https://www.orangeville.ca/en/town-hall/grants-and-funding.aspx#Eligibility and then email it to the treasurer or drop it off at Town Hall.

Eligible organizations demonstrate or have potential for social and economic benefits for the town, membership is comprised or Orangeville residents, services are available to citizens in the community on an equal basis and the organization has a track record of providing value to the community with the funding it has received. Other eligibility requirements for the grants include demonstrating a reasonable effort to raise funds through other sources, funds being received from other levels of government, and charitable or not-for-profit status.

Orangeville and District Senior Citizen Centre

The Senior Centre was unable to access funds from regular means due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There were no room rentals or fundraisers and it had limited programming and membership fees. The organization requested financial assistance so the Senior Centre can remain viable for the current year and maintain some programming in-person (pending COVID-19 restrictions) as well as online.

Optimist Club of Orangeville

The funding given to the Optimist Club will be used to purchase needed Christmas lighting, displays, and materials in support of the annual “Christmas in the Park” campaign that is held in Kayce Gardens each year.

Orangeville Tennis Club

The Tennis Club will be using its grant funding to build a structure at the east end of their courts. The courts are currently without shade during daylight hours, so the structure would provide a welcoming place for people to sit and rest. The structure will also be good for players, parents or spectators of the sport.

Rotary Club of Orangeville

The funding distributed the Rotary Club will be used to cover the expenses for the 2021 Ribfest, specifically permit and rental charges as well as marketing and promotion.

The Kin Club of Orangeville

The Kin Club requested funds to help cover the operational costs associated with the annual Orangeville Santa Claus Parade. This year the parade is tentatively scheduled for November 13, 2021.

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